The Flyers took a 3-1 series lead against the Washington Capitals in 2008 only to watch the Capitals force a Game 7 in Washington. The Capitals got on the board in the first period on a Nicklas Backstrom power play goal. The Flyers would respond before the end of the period when Scottie Upshall scored his first goal of the series on the power play.

The Flyers took a 2-1 lead in the second period when Patrick Thoresen drove hard to the net and drove a Capitals defenseman into Washington goaltender Cristobal Huet. Sami Kapanen was able to put it in the open net. The Capitals would respond six minutes later when Alexander Ovechkin beat Martin Biron to tie the game 2-2 through two periods.

After a scoreless third period, the two teams headed to overtime to decide the fate of their season. Just over four minutes into the first overtime, Washington defenseman Tom Poti went to the box for tripping R.J. Umberger. The Flyers went to work on the power play and with time winding down on the man-advantage, Kimmo Timonen blasted a slap shot from the point. Huet made the original save but Joffrey Lupul put home the rebound to give the Flyers a 3-2 victory.

This was a tense back-and-forth game. Poti's penalty was the first penalty since the second period and really was going to give one team momentum - the Flyers were either going to score and end it or the Capitals were going to kill the penalty and build off that momentum.

The Flyers won out to meet the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

They were involved in a line brawl in November that saw Flyers goaltender Ray Emery beat the pulp out of Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby. Capitals forward Tom Wilson boarded Flyers forward Brayden Schenn in December that earned him a five-minute boarding major and a game misconduct. It didn't end there as Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov boarded Schenn on Sunday and earned himself a five-minute major and a two-game suspension.

Things boiled over in the first period of the Flyers 6-4 win over Washington on Wednesday night. After Capitals defenseman John Erskine hit Flyers center Vinny Lecavalier, Philadelphia defenseman Luke Schenn responded with a hard hit on Capitals forward Ryan Stoa. Both hits were clean but Wilson came over to challenge Schenn and mayhem ensued.

The linesmen originally broke up Schenn and Wilson before letting them go but the other guys on the ice got into it. Erskine and Simmonds were jawing when Vinny Lecavalier got involved with Erskine before Simmonds came over to help the Flyers' center.

It really was mayhem.

Schenn pounded Wilson, who seems to hate the Flyers. I don't hate that Wilson might hate the Flyers because it makes it interesting. It was Schenn's sixth fight of the season and his first since he pummeled Gregory Campbell back in January. The fight was Wilson's 12th of the season which is tied for third in the NHL for most fighting majors trailing Vancouver's Tom Sestito (15) and Edmonton's Luke Gazdic (13).

It was only the second time Erskine has fought this season but him has a history with Simmonds as Erskine was suspended three games last season for elbowing the Flyers' winger. The fight was Lecavalier's second of the year. Both fights were against the Capitals and both fights resulted in a game misconduct for Lecavalier.

The Flyers lead the league with 40 fights this season.

I know there were Capitals fans on social media yelling about Simmonds holding Erskine so Lecavalier can punch him. I don't think that was the intention of Simmonds (although no one knows his intentions except him) as it looked like he was just grabbing Erskine to get him to stop pounding on Lecavalier. I can see their side of the argument and I probably wouldn't have been happy if the tables were turned. Either way, it happened but Washington fans shouldn't be to quick to judge as it was Wilson who started this whole thing by confronting Schenn after a clean hit.

Final: Flyers 6 - Capitals 4

The Flyers struck first when Sean Couturier poked the puck up the boards to Claude Giroux who used a burst of speed and a nifty move to beat Braden Holtby less than seven minutes into the game.

Just over a minute and a half later, Giroux found Jakub Voracek who beat Holtby on the power play to put the Flyers up 2-0.

With the Flyers up 2-0, Luke Schenn landed a clean and bone-crushing hit on Capitals forward Ryan Stoa. Washington forward Tom Wilson took issue and mayhem ensued. When the dust settled, Vinny Lecavalier and Capitals defenseman John Erskine were issued game misconducts while Wilson got a ten-minute misconduct and the Capitals went on the power play after Wayne Simmonds was issued two minor penalties.

The second period got off to a good start when Scott Hartnell dumped Mike Green behind the Washington net which sent to puck to the slot where Claude Giroux beat Holtby for his second of the game.

It would become 4-0 Flyers when Michael Raffl redirected Luke Schenn's shot from the point.

Andrew MacDonald got the secondary assist on Raffl's goal giving him his first point as a Flyer.

Holtby was replaced by Philipp Grubauer following the goal.

The Capitals would get on the board just over two minutes later on Joel Ward's 19th of the year.

After Steve Downie was whistled for elbowing, the Capitals power play went to work when a cross-ice pass found an open Alex Ovechkin who beat Steve Mason to make it 4-2.

Just about three minutes later, Troy Brouwer made it 4-3 when he was left all alone in front of the net.

The Flyers would get an insurance goal when Hartnell found Voracek who sniped his second goal of the game to make it 5-3 with 8:09 remaining.

The Capitals didn't give up as Brooks Laich redirected a Mike Green shot from the point to make it 5-4 with exactly six minutes remaining.

Steve Downie would get an empty-netter for the Flyers with less than a minute remaining to make it 6-4.

Giroux posted his second consecutive game with two goals, one assist and five shots on goal.

Giroux now has nine goals and nine assists in his last 11 games for the Flyers.

Philadelphia is 7-1-0 over their last eight games.

The Capitals went 3-for-4 on the power play while the Flyers were 1-for-2 on the man advantage.

The Flyers out-shot the Capitals 23-8 through two periods which was the fewest shots against the Flyers through two periods since December 7th, 2009 against Montreal.

Overall the Flyers out-shot the Capitals 30-25 despite getting out-shot 17-7 in the final period.

The Flyers get back at it Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 pm.

Forwards Martin Erat and John Mitchell were traded to the Phoenix Coyotes to for previously mentioned Klesla, forward Chris Brown and a fourth round pick in 2015.

The Capitals have earned a point in 16 of their last 20 games against the Flyers (10-4-6)

Washington will be without Dmitry Orlov who begins serving his two game suspension tonight for boarding Brayden Schenn.

Troy Brouwer needs two points to reach 200 in his NHL career while Jason Chimera needs two points to reach 300 in his career.

Starting Goaltenders:

Capitals G Braden Holtby19-13-3, 2.94 GAA, .911 SV%

Holtby, 24, was pelted with shots against the Flyers on Sunday as he allowed five goals on 36 shots in the 5-4 overtime defeat. The loss snapped a personal four-game win streak for Holtby. In eight career starts against the Flyers, Holtby is 3-2-3 with a 3.10 GAA and a .899 SV% with one shutout.

Flyers G Steve Mason25-15-5, 2.57 GAA, .915 SV%

Mason, 25, was in net for the Flyers' victory on Sunday over the Capitals but wasn't particularly sharp allowing four goals on 29 shots. He started both games for the Flyers over the weekend thanks to the Ray Emery injury. In 10 career starts against the Capitals, Mason is 5-3-2 with a 2.73 GAA and a .912 SV%.

Puck drop is slated for 8:00 pm at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. The game can be seen on NBC Sports Network and heard on 97.5 The Fanatic.

Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov was having a really good afternoon on Sunday heading towards the midpoint of the third period. He scored twice, his second and third goals of the season - all against the Flyers, and his team was winning 4-2.

All of that changed in one shift.

As the puck went behind the Washington net, Flyers forward Brayden Schenn landed a clean, devastating hit on Orlov. Play continued when Schenn went to retrieve the puck in the corner when Orlov lined him up and blasted him into the boards in a textbook boarding hit.

Orlov had a phone-hearing with Brendan Shanahan of the NHL Department of Player Safety for the hit. The 22-year-old defenseman was suspended two games for the hit.

This hit looks like a clear retaliation for Schenn's hit on Orlov. He lines Schenn up, hits him in the numbers, and leaves his feet. Orlov definitely earned his five-minute boarding major. it was particularly costly for the Capitals as Jake Voracek scored on the power play to cut the Washington lead to 4-3 before Philadelphia won 5-4 in overtime.

I found it amusing, and irritating, that Orlov looked like a scared child as Luke Schenn came after him for hitting his brother. If you do hit someone like Orlov hit Brayden Schenn, I believe you should have to answer for your actions. Orlov should be thanking Troy Brouwer endlessly.

Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov was having a really good afternoon on Sunday heading towards the midpoint of the third period. He scored twice, his second and third goals of the season - all against the Flyers, and his team was winning 4-2.

All of that changed in one shift.

As the puck went behind the Washington net, Flyers forward Brayden Schenn landed a clean, devastating hit on Orlov. Play continued when Schenn went to retrieve the puck in the corner when Orlov lined him up and blasted him into the boards in a textbook boarding hit.

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This hit looks like a clear retaliation for Schenn's hit on Orlov. He lines Schenn up, hits him in the numbers, and leaves his feet. Orlov definitely earned his five-minute boarding major. it was particularly costly for the Capitals as Jake Voracek scored on the power play to cut the Washington lead to 4-3 before Philadelphia won 5-4 in overtime.

The question now is whether or not NHL czar Brendan Shanahan will suspend Orlov in the phone hearing he has scheduled for Monday. The 22-year-old has not been suspended at the NHL level and the fact Schenn was not injured on the play will help his cause.

I found it amusing, and irritating, that Orlov looked like a scared child as Luke Schenn came after him for hitting his brother. If you do hit someone like Orlov hit Brayden Schenn, I believe you should have to answer for your actions. Orlov should be thanking Troy Brouwer endlessly.

Flyers @ Capitals

Flyers:

The Flyers have scored 69 third period goals which is third in the league behind only the Bruins and Blackhawks.

The Flyers are 1-for-9 on the power play since returning from the Olympic break and have recorded at least one power play goal in 15 of their last 20 games.

The Capitals are one of two teams, along with the Penguins, who will play the Flyers five times this season.

Kimmo Timonen will play in his 500th game with the Philadelphia Flyers today.

Sean Couturier has at least one point in six of his last eight games with two goals and five assists in that span.

Claude Giroux has 12 points (5 G, 7 A) in his last nine games.

Capitals:

Record: 29-23-9 (67 points) - 4th in Metropolitan Division

Last Game: Win, 4-2 @ Bruins (Sat. Mar 1)

Streak: Won 4

Notes:

The Capitals are 75-98-19-5 all-time against the Flyers but 42-40-13-1 against the Flyers at home.

Washington has earned at least one point in 15 of their last 19 games against the Flyers as seven of their last 14 games have reached overtime.

The Capitals have won a season-high four straight games while going 7-2-1 over their last 10 games. They are averaging 3.70 goals per game in their last 10.

Washington is 26-4-4 when scoring three or more goals in a game.

The Capitals have scored two power play goals in two straight games. They are 12-2-1 when scoring two or more power play goals in a game.

Troy Brouwer needs two points to reach 200 in his NHL career while Jason Chimera needs two points to reach 300 in his career.

Starting Goaltenders:

Flyers G Steve Mason24-15-5, 2.54 GAA, .917 SV%

Mason, 25, was strong in net for the Flyers on Saturday against the Rangers stopping 33 of 35 shots fired his way en route to a 4-2 Flyers win. It was a strong rebound performance after allowing four goals on 16 shots against the Sharks in his first game after the Olympic break. In nine career games against the Capitals, Mason is 4-3-2 with a 2.59 GAA, a .917 SV% and two shutouts.

Capitals G Braden Holtby18-13-2, 2.91 GAA, .912 SV%

Holtby, 24, put up a great performance on Saturday stopping 36 of 38 Bruins shots as the Capitals rolled to a 4-3 victory. He has won six of his last seven starts after losing six straight starts in late-December and early-January. In seven career starts against the Flyers, Holtby is 3-2-2 with a 2.84 GAA and a .905 SV%.

Puck drop is slated for 12:30 pm at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. The game can be seen on NBC and heard on 97.5 The Fanatic.

There was a scary moment in the second period of the Flyers 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. With 4:43 remaining in the period, Brayden Schenn was in his own zone with the puck near the corner boards. Capitals rookie Tom Wilson came charging in towards Schenn and hit the Flyers forward square into the boards.

The decision has been made by Brendan Shanahan and the Department of Player Safety that Wilson will not face any supplemental discipline.The video goes into detail as to how the league decided not to add any supplemental discipline and it explains the situation extremely well. While that all makes sense, how can the league sit back and be content with a hit like that? I mean, Schenn escaped serious injury somehow, but nine times out of 10 that hit is going to bring some serious injuries. A misconduct but no fine or suspension - this is the precedent the league is setting with this decision.

In 34 games this season, the 19-year-old rookie has one goal and three assists for the Capitals. The 6'4", 210 lbs. forward was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

The aftermath of the Tom Wilson hit on Brayden Schenn in the second period of the Flyers 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night will continue to Thursday.

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced today that Wilson is scheduled to have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Thursday over the phone. The hearing over the phone means a suspension could be for a maximum of five games.

With 4:43 remaining in the second period, Brayden Schenn was in his own zone with the puck near the corner boards. Capitals rookie Tom Wilson came charging in towards Schenn and hit the Flyers forward square into the boards.

Wilson received a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct for the hit. The video of the hit is difficult to watch without cringing.

However, the Capitals don't believe the hit was dirty and head coach Adam Oates went as far as to say that he doesn't "think it’s a penalty at all." Washington general manager George McPhee went as far as to say it was a "great hit" by Wilson.

Flyers head coach Craig Berube seems to be on the same page as the league, "It’s a tough, reckless play a hit from behind."